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blunder
7 dictionary results for: blunder
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
blun·der 
[bluhn-der] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[bluhn-der] Pronunciation Key –noun
–verb (used without object)
–verb (used with object)
| 1. | a gross, stupid, or careless mistake: That's your second blunder this morning. |
| 2. | to move or act blindly, stupidly, or without direction or steady guidance: Without my glasses I blundered into the wrong room. |
| 3. | to make a gross or stupid mistake, esp. through carelessness or mental confusion: Just pray that he doesn't blunder again and get the names wrong. |
| 4. | to bungle; botch: Several of the accounts were blundered by that new assistant. |
| 5. | to utter thoughtlessly; blurt out: He blundered his surprise at their winning the award. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME blunderen, blondren, (v.) < ON blunda shut one's eyes, nap; cf. Norw dial. blundra]
] —Related forms
blun·der·er, noun
blun·der·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| blun·der
(blŭn'dər) Pronunciation Key
n. A usually serious mistake typically caused by ignorance or confusion. v. blun·dered, blun·der·ing, blun·ders v. intr.
v. tr.
[From Middle English blunderen, to go blindly, perhaps from Old Swedish blundra, have one's eyes closed, from Old Norse blunda.] blun'der·er n., blun'der·ing·ly adv. Synonyms: These verbs mean to move awkwardly or unsteadily: blundered about the dark room; flies bumbling against the screen; floundered up the muddy trail; a wagon lumbering along an unpaved road; twisted her ankle and lurched home; stumbled but regained his balance. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
blunder
blunder
c.1340, from O.N. blundra "shut one's eyes" (the oldest Eng. sense was "to stumble around blindly"), from PIE base *bhlendh- (see blind). Meaning "make a stupid mistake" is first recorded 1711.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| blunder | |
noun | |
| 1. | an embarrassing mistake |
verb | |
| 1. | commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake; "I blundered during the job interview" [syn: drop the ball] |
| 2. | make one's way clumsily or blindly; "He fumbled towards the door" [syn: fumble] |
| 3. | utter impulsively; "He blurted out the secret"; "He blundered his stupid ideas" [syn: blurt out] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Blunder
Blun"der\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blundered; p. pr. & vb. n. Blundering.] [OE. blunderen, blondren, to stir, confuse, blunder; perh. allied to blend to mix, to confound by mixture.]1. To make a gross error or mistake; as, to blunder in writing or preparing a medical prescription. --Swift. 2. To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble. I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow. --Goldsmith. Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place, And blunders on, and staggers every pace. --Dryden. To blunder on. (a) To continue blundering. (b) To find or reach as if by an accident involving more or less stupidity, -- applied to something desirable; as, to blunder on a useful discovery.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Blunder
Blun"der\, v. t. 1. To cause to blunder. [Obs.] "To blunder an adversary." --Ditton. 2. To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse. He blunders and confounds all these together. --Stillingfleet.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Blunder
Blun"der\, n. 1. Confusion; disturbance. [Obs.] 2. A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity, or culpable ignorance. Syn: Blunder, Error, Mistake, Bull. Usage: An error is a departure or deviation from that which is right or correct; as, an error of the press; an error of judgment. A mistake is the interchange or taking of one thing for another, through haste, inadvertence, etc.; as, a careless mistake. A blunder is a mistake or error of a gross kind. It supposes a person to flounder on in his course, from carelessness, ignorance, or stupidity. A bull is a verbal blunder containing a laughable incongruity of ideas.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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